A Christmas Carol Comes Alive at Orlando Shakes

During the holiday season, I always have a running mental list of things that would make it completely merry. Sending Christmas cards, wrapping gifts, making treats for neighbors, and seeing live theater! Unfortunately, the last item on the list doesn’t always actually happen each holiday season, but this year, we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to see A Christmas Carol at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, or Orlando Shakes as it’s better known. A Christmas Carol is my favorite fictional holiday story, and I’ve been watching a few different movie versions of it every holiday season for nearly my entire life. This story just encompasses holiday spirit to me and I’m so honored to be sharing it with you.

In the Orlando Shakes production, this classic tale is brought to life in a new and refreshing way, even though it’s a story we’ve all heard many times. There are so many costume changes, special effects, and fast pacing in the dialogue, that the time seems to pass almost too quickly. This familiar story is brought to life with such vigor and Christmas spirit, it fills your heart with joy. The cast was absolutely mesmerizing and amazingly talented!

Through classic Christmas songs, storytelling characters, and a beautifully staged production, this story comes alive for all ages. I cried several times during the show, and only once from sadness during the future telling of Tiny Tim’s passing. When Scrooge discovers Christmas and begins to share his newfound goodwill with others, my heart swelled with love and appreciation for my own blessings. When the cast sings a final farewell of a medley of Christmas songs, and the audience joins in the singing, it felt like, for just a moment, that all was well with the world. It was beautiful.

A Christmas Carol runs until December 30 so you still have plenty of time to see this wonderful holiday production. Orlando Shakes is a theater in the round, where this is no bad seat in the house! For this production, there are no children under age 5 permitted, so this is important to keep in mind for parents, as this age requirement is strictly enforced. After seeing the show, I can completely understand this age requirement, as parts of the Dickens classic are quite intense for younger viewers. There were parts of the show, such as the visit from Marley from beyond the grave, where I was concerned that my own children would be scared. But thankfully, they were more mesmerized than scared!

This would be a great date night, family outing to the theater, rainy day activity, or something to do with your out of town holiday guests. Be sure to visit the Orlando Shakes website to purchase your tickets! Orlando has so much to offer in terms of entertainment, but there is something very special and festive about live theater. You learn and experience a story in a unique and special way when you see it performed on stage before your eyes. I still remember the plays that I saw as a child, and attempting to recreate them with my cousins in our living room with any found costumes we could drag out of our closets. I hope that I’ve given my children the gift of this memory and that on Christmas Eve, they will dream up their own ways to create this story in our living room, with the inspiration of Orlando Shakes.